When The Winds Blow

As seen in the HEARTbeat and the Village Voice

“When The Winds Blow”

            The wind is a funny thing.  You can’t see it, but you can see the effects of it.  You can’t touch it, but you can feel its presence.  Some winds can be light and almost imperceptible while other times it can be obvious and very destructive.  It pulls and it pushes and moves against all manner of things.  How can we stand against it if we can see it?

            Not so long ago my wife and I took a trip to a place neither of us had ever been – Biloxi, Mississippi.  It was a different look at the Gulf of Mexico than the beaches east along the coast.  It is a city with a colorful past and a rich heritage.  We had dinner in an old French-style house called Mary Mahoney’s.  Outside this house was a testament to strength.  In the courtyard stood a massive oak tree.  On it was a sign that read: “My name is Patriarch.  I’m over 2,000 years old.”  The tree, according to an article written by an arborist in the 1960’s, is the oldest oak tree on the gulf coast!  I stood in amazement at a tree that has lived since the time of Jesus!

            The Patriarch oak tree has seen countless hurricanes in its 2,000 years.  What a root system it must have to be able to stand against some of the strongest storms on the planet.  They must go so deep that no wind would be able to blow it over.  I’m thinking – shouldn’t our faith be the same?

            Like the wind, we can’t see the enemy, but you can sure see the enemy’s effects.  You can’t touch the enemy, but sometimes you can feel his presence in people and events.  Some of the schemes of the enemy are light and almost imperceptible while others are overt and destructive.

            We live in a time when it appears common sense has left the building.  Parental rights are being eroded by laws.  Schools keep information from parents concerning their kids until it is too late to affect stability.  And the church is covertly and overtly under attack.

            Isaac Newton’s third law of motion states, “For every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction.”  I’m beginning to question this premise when it comes to the attacks on the church.  Slowly, over the last fifty, the church’s presence in society has eroded.  It used to be on Sunday at 11:00 a.m., the nation was at church.  This is no longer true.  The church is even under attack from within by so-called clergy scholars.  They are openly questioning the virgin birth, the divinity of Christ, the resurrection of Jesus, and Holy Trinity.  These scholars read into the scripture what they want it to say instead of getting out of scripture what the Holy Spirit inspired writer wants to convey.

            The church needs to start pushing back with an equal or greater force against the enemy.  If we don’t, the church is in retreat and the enemy is advancing.  Read scripture.  Study scripture.  Know scripture.  Develop your holy root system!  Be ready to defend your faith against any challenging wind, flesh or spirit!